2000 TBA #6 Grande Cuvee Nouvelle Vague

Spices, new French oak, and super-ripe pears can be discerned in the aromatics of the magnificent 2000 #6 Grande Cuvee Trockenbeerenauslese Nouvelle Vague (9.5% alcohol, 233 grams residual sugar/liter, and 7.8 grams/liter total acidity). Aged for 24 months in new oak barrels, this tangy, lively, medium- to full-bodied effort has superb balance. Candied apples, jammy apricots, red currants, and hints of citrus zests are found throughout its flavor profile and extensive finish. Drink it over the next 25-30 years. Wine Advocate.October, 2003

(for 375 ml.) Butterscotch, resin and sweet Chartreuse-like herbal aromas. More of the same on the palate but with a briney-mineral, anchovy-like note that is bracing and interesting, if not entirely integrated. We've dropped from 11% to 12% alcohol in cuvees 2 through 5 to 9.5% here, but the correspondingly higher residual sugar isn't noticeable as finishing stickiness. This year's #6 (welschriesling and chardonnay, as usual) may just need time to express itself more fully.